Spent Night In Snow

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30884, 18 October 1965, Page 1

Spent Night In Snow

(New Zealand Press Association)

WANGANUI, Oct. 17.

A party of seven skiers walked out of the bush-clad lower slopes of the Ohakune side of Mount Ruapehu early this morning after spending all night there in snow and sleet.

The party two women and five men from Auckland and Wellington—left Chateau Tongariro early on Saturday afternoon to go to the crater lake to ski down to Ohakune.

When they set out from the Chateau cloud began settling down over the area, and by the time they reached the lake the weather worsened.

Visibility dropped to a few yards. Edging their way down the mountain they reached the Wanganui Tramping Club’s hut at 7 p.m. but decided to continue to Ohakune.

However, the skiers took the wrong track and about half an hour later realised they were lost in thick bush. They decided to spend the night in the bush rather than risk losing the track. Snow and sleet began and continued throughout the night

It was not until 10 p.m. that the National Park Board’s chief ranger. Mr J. W. Mazey, was told the party was overdue.

Twenty-five rangers, policemen, ski patrol and search and rescue organisation mem-

bers set out immediately in search of the seven skiers. The rescuers spent nearly five hours groping through the darkness searching for them, but increasing bad weather forced the search to be called off at 3.30 in the morning.

An hour and a half later the rescuers were back in the bush again.